The Stars In Your Eyes
by She.Who.Walks.Alone.9
Summary: Her battle to the death is interrupted by an attack on the Galra's defenses. The Padalins storm the Galra ship to look for the missing Lance and free the captive gladiator girl in the process.
1. Chapter 1 Lizzy

**Hey everyone! This is a back-up account to my Quotev the rest of the Stars In Your Eyes is also there if you wish to read it. But I will hopefully be able to update all of it here in time. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story...**

~Lizzy~

My heart accelerates as I hear the familiar creak of the metal gate going up. As a gladiator of the Galra, I am not unfamiliar with the bloodthirsty yells of the crowds and the desperation I feel every time I step on the arena floor.

Every single time I pass these gates, I wonder if it's my last.

My eyes quickly adjust to the glare of the artificial lights and my heart sinks as I take in my enemy. He's a type of alien I've never encountered before, easily over ten feet tall. His dark blue skin is marred with scars of every shape and size. On his hand, I notice he clutches a giant sword and shifts from foot to foot. This is obviously not his first fight.

We circle each other warily and wait for our signal to begin. I squeeze the worn handle of my dagger and twirl it a bit to warm up.

I'm okay, I lie to myself. I've fought worse.

I stopped counting how many battles I've had a long time ago. Although most of them are not to the death, the one's who lose often are become weaker with eavh battle until they die. The Galra don't give us time to recuperate. Eventually one wound becomes two and it keeps going until one's too weak to fight. Those are always the worst. I've seen it happen.

Those that are to the death always end quicker.

I hadn't even noticed the roaring of the crowd but it finally registers as it suddenly goes silent. A purple alien and the one in charge of the games, Januks, steps out into the lights of the terrace overhead. Thanks to the translaters throughout the ship, it seems as if he's speaking English. He spreads his arms dramatically.

"Gladiators, I am sure you both know the rules of this game: the first to draw blood leaves the arena a winner. " He cocks his head and gives us a cold smile. The crowd holds their breath in anticipation. It's not unlike him to add a twist to the games.

"Those are the usual rules. Rules that I'm sure we are all bored of watching you follow. Listen carefully, slaves, because your lives do depend on it. First one to kill emerges champion." The crowd whoops deafining roar. My heart sinks as the words settle in.

Suddenly all the hope I had of someday returning to Earth crumbles. It's obvious who the stronger fighter is; and I haven't even fully recovered from my previous match. I'm going to die here billions of miles away from home.

The revelation leaves me so shocked that I barely registered Januks' word.

"Begin."

My opponent is on me immediately. He swings his sword down and I scramble to get out of the way. I search for his weak points but find none. This time when his next stab comes down I'm ready. I step into his open chest and swipe my dagger across then dart swiftly out of his sword's reach. The blue alien growls as he takes in his wounds. It's shallow and had this been a fair fight I would have won.

The alien moves forward at an incredible speed and jabs his sword down towards my legs. Without thinking about it, my hand blocks his sword with the dagger. Pain erupts from my wrist as the full force of his strength crashes into mine. My right hand releases the daggers grip and my other hand snatches it mid-air. I slash his arm then scramble away.

He stares at me as I breathe heavily and cradle my wrist. My opponent's light purple blood drips down his wounds he approaches me more wary now with a determined expression. I can't help thinking where this alien came from.

What gives him his determination? Does he fight for himself or for the hope of seeing his family?

It's at that moment where I know I will die here.

I refuse to kill. Not for the Galra's entertainment. Not to save my life.

Still, with each heartbeat, my brain screams at me to live.

My opponent twirls his sword then attacks. This time I'm too slow. I yell as the sword slices my stomach ripping open my shirt as I attempt to stumble out of the way. The pain comes in waves and I bite down the groan. My opponent's expression of concern surprises me. He seems reluctant to continue.

Yellow spots crowd my vision as fight the urge to throw up. I keep my eyes on him as I gingerly touch the wound.

Thank God. It's shallow; any deeper and my insides would have been outside. Still it may have not been a fatal wound but considering how fast things are deteriorating, at this rate, I won't last very long.

Suddenly the alarms blares. The crowd, compromised of soldiers, pause for a beat- maybe two- and then bolt to their stations.

An attack! Despite my state, my spirits soar. Let them accomplish what I cannot. Let them destroy the Galra.

The blue alien approaches me and offers me his hand.

"I've heard that this is a sign of peace among humans."

His voice is deep yet clear. After a moment I smile and shake his hand. He's not my enemy. The Galra is.

"Sorry about the cuts. No hard feelings?" A look of confusion crosses his face and I realize that he doesn't understand the slang.

"No hard feelings." He agrees. "Only soft feelings."

Something occurs to me.

"Wait. How do you know our customs?" I ask. "Is there another human on board I'm not aware about?"

"A human? Yes."

The news is almost enough to forget about the pain.

"Tell me where the human is."

Half a dozen Galra soldiers burst into the arena. Their guns are trained on us but I focus on the blue alien.

"The blue one, he's on the third sector." He yells as they take him away. I let the soldiers lead me back to my cell as I think of what he said.

The blue one? Was the alien mistaking? As far as I remember, humans aren't blue.

Unless we've gone through evolution...

I dismiss the stupid idea. We finally reach my cell and they shove me in. The door shuts behind me and I stumble to the small sink in the corner of the room.

That cut's already stained most of the bottom half of my shirt I try to clean it as best as I can. With a sigh, I rip the bottom half off and wrap the makeshift gauze around my stomach. The Galra aren't good as distributing what they call 'luxuries' like clothing.

Feeling cleaner and somewhat calmer I won't bleed to death, I slump on the floor and close my eyes.

At this point, I don't know whether to believe the blue alien or not. He seemed sincere enough and how else could he have known about the handshake.

Without knowing it, I must have drifted off to sleep because I wake to the sound of my cell door opening. Along with the all to familiar fear, my irritation rises. Without opening my eyes I groan.

"Can't you cut a girl some slack? I fought not two hours ago." At least I think it was two hours. Time is difficult to tell here.

"What? Come one, we don't have time for this. Let's go." My eyes snap open to the sound of the voice. That voice. The human voice.

Standing in the doorway, a human boy with messy black hair and a red space suit beckons urgently at me.

Author's Note:

This is a work of fiction using characters from the Voltron Legendary Defenders world, which is trademark by Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery. I do not claim ownership over any of their characters nor profit from them.


	2. Chapter 2 Keith

~Keith~

The girl stands up so fast I raise my sword automatically. Her brown eyes widen and too many expressions to count cross her face.

"You're human." She says as if she can't quite believe I'm real.

"Yeah. So are you. We have to go now." I tell her. Behind me, Pidge is ordering all the other prisoners to follow her.

"Why are you here?" She moves into the light and my eyes take in the gauze stained in red.

"You're bleeding." She waves me off.

"Tell me." I hesitate for a moment. How do I know she's not one of Zarkon's spy? I take in her state. She's injured and doesn't have any weapons. If need be, I can take her. Besides, she can help us.

"Our teammate was captured by Zarkon. His name's Lance, quite annoying. He was wearing a space suit like mine but blue-"

"Blue?" The girl blurts out.

"Do you know who he is?" She nods.

"The third sector. I can lead you to him."

"Okay." I step out of the room and wait for her to follow.

"Keith!" Pidge is surrounded by about half a dozen prisoners she released. "I need to get these people to the lions. You find Lance."

I nod and she starts running with the prisoners following her. I turn to the girl and she is already running the other direction.

"The third sector." She calls out as I follow. "I've been told he's in the third sector."

I catch up to her and pull my bayard out unsheathed.

"How do you know this?" I ask. I can't help the suspicion that fills me. This seems too convenient.

"An alien told me. Not Galra. A different species." She gasps. The girl is pale, no doubt from her wound; I feel a little guilty for doubting her.

She stops abruptly in front of a fallen Galra robot and searches the body. With a grin, she pulls out a weapon and starts running again. We reach a turn when shots ring out.

"Shit." She yelps and ducks into the corridor. I follow her and look back; there are at least twenty Galra soldiers running after us. The girl checks her weapon and hardens her face.

"We need to go." I tell her.

"You go. I'll hold them back. Your friend is in sector three- that's two corridors to the right and then take a left. Got it?" She braces herself on the wall and starts shooting.

"I'm not leaving you." I tell her.

"You have to. Go, save your friend." She ducks quickly as they shoot back.

This is practical. It's a plan I would have made; still, I'm hesitant to leave her.

"I don't even know your name." I tell her. She glances at me and smiles.

"Lizzy."

"Keith." I start retreating. "I'll come back. I promise."

As I turn around the bend, I hear her response.

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

I sprint down the corridor. Two rights. One left.

Lance better be damn grateful we're saving his sorry hide.

I turn left and spot three soldiers guarding a door. Before they even raise they weapons, I'm on to them. They fall to the ground in an electrical heap.

The door slides open when I press on of the fallen soldier's hands to the frame next to it. Lance is already standing up. His eyes widen in surprise when he sees me.

"Aww, you do care." His face is full of relief as he runs out.

"We have to go." I tell him and start running back the way I came from.

"Wait, where are we going? I feel Blue down this corridor." He protests but follows me anyway. I glance at him, he seems in better shape that the girl- Lizzy.

"There's a human girl who's holding the Galra back for us." I tell him and he gasps.

"A girl? It's been forever since I've practiced my lines on a human girl." A surge of annoyance course though me.

"She's been a prisoner of Zarkon. The last thing she needs is a hormonal boy hitting on her." In front of us, three Galra soldiers are shooting. But not at us-down the corridor. Shots rings back and a robot soldier falls. A yell of pain echoes throughout the corridor.

Without even having thought about it, I'm already racing towards them with my sword out.


	3. Chapter 3 Lizzy

~Lizzy~

As soon as the boy-Keith- leaves, I aim for as many Galra soldiers as I can. The gun has no reload as far as I can see and it appears to shoot some form of watered down plasma.

The soldiers, being robotic, do not fall as easily as I would suspect them to fall had they been human. I quickly duck back to the wall as they shoot back.

I'm going to be overwhelmed. So close to freedom.

Instead of the despair I expected, I feel a wave of determination.

Those humans, my people, will get out of here. Even if I don't.

I peek from the corner and quickly shoot the two nearest soldiers. They fall but the others keep moving forward. I feel the air hiss as a shot streaks past my ear.

They're moving too fast, I think frantically. At this point, Kieth and the Blue one won't have time to escape.

I take a deep breath and shoot the last three soldiers and quiet sets over everything.

I actually did it.

Shots ring out. It takes a few precious seconds to realize they come from the wrong direction.

My gun hand swirls around and I begin shooting blindly behind me. I manage to get a few good shots in before a searing pain in my arm makes me stumble and a cry rips from my throat.

With fury I didn't even know I possessed, I shoot back. And suddenly, a red blur appears from the corridor and cuts down the soldiers with the swipe of his sword. I recognize him in an instant.

"Keith!"

The boy runs towards me followed by a darker boy with a blue suit.

"And I'm Lance." The Blue boy says when he gets close enough. He winks at me and extends his hand. I wince as I try to lift mine.

The wound isn't that bad; it completely grazed me. But still, it burns like a son-of-a-bitch.

"Are you okay?" Keith asks looking at my arm.

"It's just a graze." I tell him.

"So... do you come here often? How did you even get here?" Lance asks. I'm a bit uncomfortable with all the attention. It's been months, or maybe even a year, since I've had so many humans around me. I was never the most social person to begin with; and now, I can't even imagine making a conversation with more than one person at a time.

"We don't have time for this, Lance. Shiro and Hunk are diverting the Galra's attention. We have to go." Keith says and starts running back to the direction they came from.

Lance looks at me and smiles widely. "After you, sweetness."

"Don't call me that." I holster the gun and start after Keith.

"What so I call you then?" He says as he catches up. "Darling? Princess? Baby girl?"

"Lizzy."

"Just that?" He pouts and I don't even bother to respond. I can already taste the fresh air. The smell of rain. Home. After all this time...could it be? Could I actually be on the brink to escape...

Surely a dream isn't this vivid. Right?

As I run, there is only one thing I can think about: freedom.


	4. Chapter 4 Keith

~Keith~

"Blue!" Lance shouts in joy at the sight of his lion. I feel mine greet me warmly as we come to a stop in front of them. They open their mouths to let us in and I turn to the girl. She stares at them with wonder, capturing all the details of the lions.

"They are huge." She gasps. Lance turns to her and wiggles his eyebrow doing that ridiculous flirting face.

"Wanna know what else is-" Shots ring out and we duck into our lions. The girl runs after me into Red as we make our escape.

"I've got Lance." I inform the others using the communicators. "And one of Zarkon's captives."

"Understood. Let's get out of here." Shiro's voice responds immediately.

I jerk down Red's controls and away from the ship. Allura's portal is already beginning to open.

"Go, Paladins, hurry up." Allura's voice calls out. I thrust the control forwards and we fly through the wormhole.

"Couldn't live without me for long, huh guys?" Lance's voices calls out. Despite the bravado, there is clear relief in his voice.

"Well we needed someone to form Voltron." I remind him. Suddenly, Arus pops up in front of us and I relax.

He gasps and Pidge's laughter sounds out.

"Any warm body would have done. You just happened to be the closest." Pidge says. "No, but seriously man, I'm glad you're back."

"Is that all I am? A body for you to use?" I hear the pout through the communicators then a groan. "Oh no. No. Pidge. Don't you say it!"

"That's what she said!" I wrack my head trying to see why Lance is being called a girl. Not that he isn't- he wears face lotion each night for god's sake.

I look back at the girl and find her sitting down leaning against the wall. Her face seems paler than before but she gives me a weak smile.

"It's a sex joke." She says. I blink in confusement and she continues softly. "The whole 'that's what she said'. Nice lion by the way."

"Oh. Thanks." That's all I have a chance to say before her eyes roll up and she passes out.

I put my lion on pilot and call out as I run to her. "Princess, we need a healing pod ready."

"Are you hurt?" Shiro calls out.

"It will be ready by the time you arrive." She affirms.

"Thank you. I'm fine. It's the Earthling girl, the prisoner."

Blood was seeping from her many wounds; which as far as I can tell, aren't critical. I felt the dull thud signaling we landed and I put my arms under her.

She's a lot lighter than I thought, I realize as I bring her into the castle.

I stand in front of the healing pod studying the girl when a hand rests on my shoulder. The flinch is automatic but I see it's just Allura. She gives me a warm smile.

"Her vitals are steady. She passed out from a combination of blood loss and malnutrition, so her recovery should be speedy-a week at the most." She seems hesitant for a moment. "Lance told me what she did. That was really brave of her."

I nod. "She fought like Shiro did when she was captured. He wants to talk to her once she wakes up. Pidge too, she thinks Lizzy knows where her family might be."

"Lizzy?"

"That's her name," I say. "Lizzy


	5. Chapter 5 Lizzy

~Lizzy~

I take a step and almost fall on my face. My hand reaches out behind me but I discover the thing that held me has sunken to the floor.

"Alien technology." I mumble.

Still not home them. I pat my arm and find to my surprise that the wound is gone-only to be replaced by a light scar. I look around the room, it's empty. The technology seems different from the Galra and I sigh in relief.

"It wasn't a dream then." I say as I look around. There is a transparent wall in front of me; without thinking about it, I head towards it. I realize that it isn't a wall but a door.

It takes a while to adjust to the darkness beyond it but when I do, I suck in a sharp breath.

Trees. Actual trees. The earth that supports them stretches on and on; somehow more infinite than the space I've grown so accustomed to.

I drink in the sight of it. It's been too long since I've seen the earth.

I wrap my hand around what I assume is the door handle but hesitate. This is not my earth. The air may not even be breathable. I did not survive all that I did only to be killed by the very thing I run towards.

"Hello, how are you faring?" A voice says behind me and I swirl around fast enough to make me lightheaded. A dark-skinned white-haired alien smiles at me. "My name is Allura, you're safe here. You are Lizzy right?"

I nod and she seems encouraged by my response.

"You've been in the healing pods for eight of your earth days-"

"Eight!" It's like those days never even existed. I wonder if the healing pod emerges you in some sort of coma. A thought suddenly freezes me. "I can go home. I need to go home. My parents- I just disappeared. I need to go!"

Her eyebrows scrunch together and she holds out her hands peacefully. "We'll take you home. But first you need to rest and eat; you are still not fully recuperated."

I shake my head. "No, you don't understand. I've been gone for...for...for a long time. I'm their only child-my disappearance would devastate them. They need to know I'm alive."

I'm shaking. There is only one thought in my head: my family. Back in the Galra ship, I never allowed myself to feel more than just longing for them-it was too dangerous to not focus on the fights. But now...

"I have to go."

"And you will," she reassures me. "After you get better."

"I am better." Frustration brings tears to my eyes and I wipe them away angrily but they just keep coming.

"You're swaying. You are not well." Allura says gently. "I doubt they fed you sufficiently in the Galra ships, you must be famished. We have plenty of food for you."

My stomach growls at the mention of food and I realize that she's right.

A movement catches my eyes and I jerk back. I relax when I realize it's that boy, Keith. If anyone understands, it must be him.

"Keith. I need- I have to go home." Five more people appear behind him and I step back by the sight of them.

There's so many. Too many.

My eyes dart around without truly focusing on any one of them.

"We'll take you home, don't worry." Keith says. He talks slowly as one would with a spooked horse.

"Lizzy," My eyes snap the the tallest one. "I'm Shiro, you have my word that we will get you home. But the healing pod can only do so much, you need to get better."

"I can help with that." The blue one winks at me.

"Did you see my brother or father while you were captive?"

"I could make you some Earth tasting food-"

"My brother looks like me and my father-"

"We could go on walks together-"

Too many.

I stumble back and before I know what I'm doing, I pull the door handle and run.

It feels so good to run. To run like I will never stop. For a few precious minutes, it takes my mind off of everything. I jump over logs, logs actual real, dirty, beautiful logs, and relish the feel of the dirt beneath me. But exhaustion catches up to me and I start to feel the cuts on my bare foot-somehow, somewhere, I lost my shoe.

I slow down and lean against a tree as I catch my breath.

A tree.

My fingers curl around it and feel its texture. I drop to my knees and grip the loamy earth. All of a sudden, I start sobbing.

I can't seem to suck in the air fast enough but eventually, my sobs quiet and I lean against the tree exhausted.

"Lizzy?" A figure emerges from behind a tree. I struggle to stand up. I focus on the figure and recognize him from inside.

"Shiro right?" Embarrassed, I wipe my eyes. "I'm sorry, there were just too many people. I couldn't..."

"It's okay. I know exactly how you feel right now." The honesty in his voice is real. "I was a prisoner of the Galra too. Being surrounded by so many people can be disorientating. But you'll get used to it pretty soon."

He was a prisoner too? He must know then, the battles.

"Does it get better?" I worry he might not understand but he nods his head.

"Yes. Slowly, not as fast as you'd want it to, but it does." He smiles kindly at me. "The memories may never go away, but you make new ones. You find new things worth fighting for."

You find new things worth fighting for.

I ponder his words. After a few minutes, Shiro puts his hand out.

"We never did introduce each other properly. My name is Shiro Shirogane." I shake his hand.

"Lizzy Halliway."

"We'll get you home back to your parents." He promises. "But right now, you look like you're about to pass out. Let's go inside."

I nod and follow him. I take a few steps and look from where we came from. I could still see the light from the...castle. "You live in a castle!? A castle in outer space? That is amazing. Have you meet the civilizations yet? How are they? Do they have a language? How did you guys get here anyway?"

Shiro seems taken aback from my questions but he chuckles.

"It's a long story." He says. The excitement of discovering this whole new world makes me forget my tiredness. The ideas of this whole new species, civilization, world fills my thoughts.

"I have time."


	6. Chapter 6 Keith

**Okay so I have read several theories on around what years was Voltron set in and they ranged anywhere from 2030 to 2050 due to the advanced technology that humanity would need to Kerberos at the speed that they did. So to avoid confusion, in this AU, it's set in around the 2050's.**

~Keith~

Pidge stops eating besides me and and looks up. I follow her gaze and see Allura entering with Lizzy. I struggle to keep my face expressionless when I take in the change in her.

When she came back from outside yesterday, Allura led her to her temporary room to get cleaned up and to rest. She must have figured out how overloaded Lizzy was with all of us because we haven't seen them both since last night. The change in the girl is hard to believe. Now in the calmness of morning, I see details I haven't noticed before. Her face, no longer as pale, has a faint warm brown color to it. She stands straight in a dress that is obviously Altean. And most striking of all is her eyes. They no longer dance around in fear but with curiosity. I can see that she is quite beautiful.

She looks around a bit nervously at us and gives me a small smile when her eyes land on mine. I nod back at her.

"Altean clothing suit you very much. You should wear them more often." Lance tells her after his jaw snaps back up.

"Lance." Shiro warns then turns his attention to Lizzy. "I'm glad you're better."

"Me too." She says as she sits next to Allura. She looks around and her eyes land on Hunk. "You made the food right?"

He nods and a smile lights up his face. "Did you like it?"

"Yes! Dude, I haven't tasted anything resembling potatoes in a long time. They were the best thing I have ever eaten!"

And just like that, everyone relaxes and starts talking like normal. Although, I notice that my friends are a bit careful not to get too loud.

Hunk explains in detail exactly where he got all his ingredients. It's obvious he's excited to talk to someone who actually listens to the specifics. As she talks, I notice the slight accent that colors her voice and whenever she gets too excited, her words jumble up together. But there is something else that takes me a while to place. She has an old fashioned way of speaking. Some of the slang she uses is outdated.

"Where do you come from again?" I interrupt.

"California." A weird expression crosses her face. Relief. "Oh. You mean the accent? I used to get that a lot. I'm also from Mexico. It's nice to still have something that hasn't changed."

"So how did you end up in the Galra ship?" Coran asks.

The room gets quiet. I look at her to see if she's upset but she answers him like normal.

"I don't remember much. I was walking out in the desert with my dog-"

"The desert?" Lance interrupts in disbelief. "You just happened to go walking out in the middle of the desert."

"Yes. I lived-live in a small town in the middle of the Mojave Desert. It was winter so the heat wasn't that unbearable. And then...this is where it gets a little blurry. I saw a great shape descend from above and land some miles away. So I investigated. When I got there, the sun was already setting and I remember being worried that my parents would ground me for being out so late. But then I saw the ship. It was like in the movies- huge and unmistakably alien. Then...nothing. I woke up in a room and a day later, I had to fight. I stayed there for what felt like months, maybe even years, time is hard to tell. And then you guys came along. Thank you for that. You saved my life."

"It's our duty." I say automatically but I'm thinking of something else. There is something- the beginning of an idea that has not yet formed all the way. If I think on it too hard, I know it will disappear. So I let it grow in the corner of my mind until it is ready to reveal itself.

"On the ship, did you see my family?" Pidge hands her a photo and the girl studies them. She shakes her head and Pidge slumps.

"I'm sorry. There might be other ships with prisoners. You'll find them. Don't give up." She hands the picture back and looks up and Shiro and Allura. "Please don't take this the wrong way, I am very appreciative, but how soon can I go home?"

"Can I go with you?" Lance says. I glare at him but his face isn't his usual flirting face. He's serious. "I want to see my family."

"Ooh! Me too!" Hunk shouts. "It's been forever."

"Same here!" Pidge adds.

"We can't just take a vacation." Allura protests. "Zarkon is out there. We need to be ready."

"Princess," Shiro begins. "I understand the pressure but I am sure that a few hours will not hurt anyone. If anything, seeing their families will help them be more focused. Perhaps once seeing their loved ones, they will understand with clarity exactly how much is at risk." Shiro meets Allura's eyes and she nods. The table erupts into cheers.

"How soon can we go?" Lance asks excitingly.

"How soon can you guys get ready?" Shiro says.

Lance jolts up and runs out the room.

"Give me five minutes!" He yells as he goes. Pidge and Hunk follow suit, grinning broadly all the way. The dining room is quiet once again.

"Keith, can you accompany Lizzy? I'm going to work on my lion- after the last fight, I'm pretty sure there are some wires that got loose."

I know why he asks me. After all, I am the only one besides him with no family waiting for me. I'm relieved to have something else to do besides going back to that empty shed.

"Sure. Don't you want to go visit Earth?" I ask and he shakes his head.

"There is nothing there for me anymore. Go change. We leave in ten.


	7. Chapter 7 Lizzy

~Lizzy~

I grip Keith's seat tightly as we take off. Somehow, I've battled aliens light-years away from home yet this seems unreal.

Would I, after all this time, finally see my family?

"Are you okay?" He asks after a moment.

"I'm fine." My reply comes sharper than I intended. "Sorry. It's just, I don't even know how many months have passed. They've probably already given up on me. Do you think...do you think that they have already moved on?"

It feels weird voicing the biggest fear that I have in front of this boy. But something about the quiet serious calm about him makes me trust him more than I probably should.

"It was a stupid question." I say. "Forget about it."

"You never forget the people you loved and loved you back." He tells me as we rise up into space. The planet's details fade until all that's left is a blur of blues and greens. "I lost my dad a while back. I never even met my mom. But I know I will never forget them."

I nod then remember he can't see me. "Thank you."

The wormhole opens and I see the other lions enter it with us.

I clear my throat and cast my mind a different direction.

"Dude, I wonder how much Earth has changed since I left. I miss my pets. And ice-cream. You won't believe the crap they served us at the Galra ship. I can't wait for all the memes I wasn't there for. Do you miss anything?" I am quite aware I am blabbering but in my defense, it's not often that I am finally reunited with my family after months of being an alien prisoner.

"Memes? You're into those old internet jokes?" He asks incredulously.

"Old? They are hardly that-" My voice dies when Earth suddenly pops up into our vision.

My eyes take in the blue orb in wonder.

"I'm home." I whisper.

"Where do you live?" Keith asks me.

Numbly, I tell him my address and the we start to head home.

"We landed a few miles away. The last thing we need is the attention of the military." Keith says as we walk down the ramp. It's night but the moon is full enough to guide our path. I almost can't take my eyes off the stars that I had no idea I had missed so much.

"That's okay." I say distractedly.

My eyes look for the mountain range that I always used as a compass. There it is. I look towards the direction that my house should be but the town is covered by a dune in the distance. I can see the glow of the lights illuminate the sky ahead.

I take a first step and bend down to run my hand through the sand. It's much softer than I could have remembered; memory, after all, does tend to alter a few things. I'm aware I'm stalling but after so long dreaming about this desert, here I am.

"Okay." I stand up. "I'm ready."

We start at a reasonable pace but pretty soon, I am half-jogging, eager to see my birth-town. As we walk, I can't help but looking around in wonder at all the small things that I have not thought of since I left. I almost stop in front of a flower I have long since forgotten but force myself to keep moving.

There'll be time enough later to look at plants, I tell myself.

"Movies." Keith says as we climb up the sand dune. I look at him in confusion. "That's what I miss. The closest thing Altea has is instructional videos."

"Oh. Hey, why don't you buy a television here? You can get a lifetime supply of movies and I'm sure Pidge will find some way to power it up." I breath heavily as we reach the top of the dune. "You can watch-"

I look at the view in front of me.

"Whoa. They added a lot of buildings." I take a step then another and before I even realize it, I am running towards the lights.

Behind me, I can hear Keith running after me. My feet stumble on the uneven terrain and miraculously, I manage not to twist my ankle.

"Lizzy. Wait, I think that-"

"It's this way. Come on." I take off running towards the direction of my home. The empty parking lots have been filled in with houses and apartments but I know the general shape of the town.

My heart leaps at my throat when I turn down the street that leads to mine. The houses stream past me but I only focus on one. It nears me and some part of me registers that we got a new car.

Something's not right, A voice whispers but I push it aside.

I skid to an abrupt stop in front of the fence and Keith almost crashes into me.

He says something but I don't pay attention to his words. I take a shaky step towards the door.

They changed the door, I notice.

I feel a hand on my shoulder but shrug it off.

Something's not right, the voice is more insistent now but I ignore it.

I take the last few steps and ring the doorbell.

A middle aged lady opens the door.

"Can I help you?" She asks suspicious. She has every right to be considering how I must look.

This must be one of my mom's friends.

"Yes. Hi. I'm Lizzy." I look over her shoulder hoping to get a glimpse at my parents but see two children looking curiously at me. I call out into the house. "Mom. Dad."

Something's not right, the voice is screaming now.

I expect them to come running to the door but after a few seconds, the lady clears her throat.

"I think you have the wrong house. Would you like me to call someone for you?" The woman has a worried expression. Anger rushes up like a wave and I try to push it down.

Something's not right.

"Wrong house? Listen lady, if anyone has the wrong house, it's you."

"Excuse me?" She frowns. I'm about to shove through her and burst into my house when someone grips my arm. I flinch but it's only Keith.

"Lizzy, we have to go." He tells me. I shake my head violently.

"No. We can't leave."

He looks at me and seems to decide something. He turns his attention to the lady who looks as if she's about to call the cops.

"May I just ask, how long have you lived in this house?" He says.

Something's not right.

"Twelve years now. Who are you?"

No. No. No. NO. NO.

Suddenly, everything makes sense.

The horror is too large. Too big for me to hold it inside.

NO.

NO.

Nothing is right.

I stumble back. If not for Keith's hand steady me, I would have fallen. I curl my fingers around his and hope against hope this is a nightmare.

"That can't be right. I wasn't gone for that long. It's still 2017. Isn't it?" I barely recognize the voice.

It's mine, I realize.

Keith looks at me with such pity and utters the words that destroy my life.

"It's the year 2053."


	8. Chapter 8 Keith

~Keith~

"Do you know what happened to the people who lived here." Lizzy asks the woman desperately. I have never seen her so lost-not even when I found her on the Galra ship. She leans on me heavily but I don't mind.

"The old woman but she died before the papers were finalized. I remember we had to wait two more months to buy the house. Are you okay? Do you need me to call an ambulance?" She asks in concern.

"What was her name?" Lizzy croaks. Her fingers grip mine tight enough to be painful but I don't even consider shaking her off.

"Are you sure you don't need a-"

"Her name. What was it." Her voice wavers. "Tell me."

"Norma. Norma Halliway. I only remember it because my grandmother...Excuse me miss, are you okay?"

Lizzy is paler than I have ever seen her. Her knees buckle and I throw my arm around her to keep her steady.

"Let's go." I tell her. The lady calls out at us as we walk away but I ignore her.

"It's not possible. How could I have been gone for so long?" Her eyes plead at me and I look away. I am at loss at what to say and I struggle to find the right words.

"I'm not sure. Whatever it is, we'll figure it out." She slumps down and sits on the curb a few houses down.

"I was only gone a few months. Just a few months. A year at most." Her voice breaks at the end and she clenches her eyes. "My friends. My family."

I struggle to think of some way we can fix this. But short of time travel, there's nothing we can do.

"Lizzy, between finding the ship and waking up, is there anything you remember? Anything? Even flashes of images could help."

"Lizzy?" I wave my hand on front of her face until she looks at me.

"I don't remember nothing. Just darkness." She whispers.

Zarkon did this, I think savagely. He destroys and takes away without a second's thought.

We're supposed to stop these things from happening, not just sit by and watch the aftermath. My fingers curl and I feel the all too familiar anger rising up. Calm down, Keith. Punching inanimate objects won't help. The voice sound suspiciously like Shiro's. Shiro.

Shiro must know. He has to know.

"Shiro might know what happened."

She doesn't move from her spot.

"Lizzy, come on."

She takes a shaky breath and has to begin a few times because her voice keeps cracking.

"Will knowing how it happened bring my parents back?" She meets my eyes and there is cold hate there. I take a step back. "Will knowing how it happened get my life back? Will knowing have stopped the Galra from taking me! No? What's done is done. There's no going back, no time travel that can fix this. Ever. I hate them. God, I hate them! You better destroy them, Keith. Make them pay for everything they have done. For all the lives they have ended and ruined."

One look at her face and I know what I will say before I even process it.

"I will." I promise. "I will."

And all of a sudden, the anger is gone. She sinks back to the ground and starts sobbing. Gut-wrenching sobs that don't even sound human.

Unsure what to do, I sit besides her.

"It's okay." I tell her.

"No, it's not." She gasps.

"No," I agree. "But it is what it is."

It isn't until a long while until Lizzy's sobs eventually quiet down into a frightening silence. I stand up and take a few steps away to contact Shiro in privacy.

"Shiro," I breath in relief as he picks up.

"Keith, is everything okay?" He asks.

"Yes. Well, no. Her parents are dead, she says she's from the year 2017. How is that possible?" I look back at her and feel a strange tightness in my chest as I take in her exhausted form.

"Are you sure? That's almost forty years ago. Is it possible she is confused?"

"No, I trust her judgement. Besides, some of the things she says, they sound old-fashioned."

I listen in shock as Shiro suddenly curses. I can count on one hand the number of times he has done so in front of me.

"I think I know what happened. The Galra, they often capture too many prisoners at a time. They have a habit of preserving their goods." The disgust is clearly evident in his voice and with a sinking feeling, I know where this is going. "They put them in a device much like the one we found Allura and Coran in, to keep them in top shape for the fights. I've never heard of a person being so long in them-it's usually for twenty years at most. After that, the risk of malfunction runs greater. She's been gone from home for thirty-six years." He hesitates. "Is she okay?"

"She's exhausted. In shock by the looks of it."

"Okay, here's what you will do." I stand straighter as Shiro's determined voice comes through. "I don't have access of the Earth internet but you do. Find out whatever you can about her life-any relatives or friends who are still alive. Any familiarity will hopefully help her."

"And then what? We can't just leave her here alone with people she doesn't even know anymore." From the corner of my eye, I see her flinch and I reign in my anger and lower my voice. "Everyone she knows is gone. If they are not dead, they are living their own lives. To them, she died a long time ago. She'll be reminded she doesn't belong every time she looks at her middle-aged friends."

"What do you suggest we do then?" He asks patiently.

My mind struggles to find a solution. And when it finally does, I can't believe I'm even considering it.

"She has nothing left here. She can start anew in a new world, away from the memories of this place."

I wait for Shiro's answer anxiously.

"We can't just take her away from her home like the Galra did. If we do, we aren't better than them."

"It would be her choice. We can offer her a new life, Shiro. Besides, she has no home. Not anymore. Here she will always be reminded she came from another time, she'll never fit in."

He sighs wearily and I know I convinced him.

"It's her choice. Let her decide."

"Of course. Thank you Shiro." I am about to hang up but I hesitate.

"Go ahead," He prompts, knowing me already.

"It's just...I can't...I don't know what to do. With her. What do I say?"

"There is little you can say to make this situation less painful. Just be there. That's the best thing you can do."

"There must be something else..."

"Keith, not everything can be fixed. The best thing you can do is support her. Inform me of what she decides, I'll make some arrangements with Allura. Tell Lizzy that all of us are there for her. Even Lance. She's welcomed here is she wants to."

"I will. Thank you."

"Take care of her Keith. I'll see you in a while."

I cut the communication and turn my attention back to Lizzy. She is sitting still staring vacantly at nothing.

"We have to go. I could find information on the people that you know in Red. Lizzy?" I have to repeat this two more times to get her attention.

"Okay," She says quietly. "Let's go."


	9. Chapter 9 Lizzy

~Lizzy~

"Norma Halliway, right?" I glance up at Keith's sudden question but the look on his face makes it clear it wasn't his first time asking that question.

"Yeah. Dad's name was Jacob." I mumble from the floor as I lean back on the wall behind Keith's chair.

The clicking of whatever passes for the keyboard fills my ears and I fight the urge to cover my ears like a five-year. I want to tell Keith to stop. There's no point in finding the details. But the words stick in my throat when I see their faces pop up in the screen.

"That's them." I grip Keith's seat tightly-not realizing until now I've stood up.

Their smiling faces stare up at me and I see the mark of time on their faces.

So this is what they would have looked like when I would have grown up.

There they are. Stuck in a time where they were alive and well.

"Ehm...they are buried twenty miles from here." He tells me. "We can be there in three minutes."

No. Not yet.

Suddenly I'm desperate to find someone-anyone- still alive.

"Try Alejandra Garcia, my cousin. Or Becky Sanders. Please."

He types Alejandra's name and several faces pop up. I gasp when I recognize one of them.

"You look just like your mom." My not-so-little cousin looks back at me in a frozen smile. "Is she..."

"She's alive." He interrupts me quickly. "She's got five kids with her husband. It says here..."

I look at the screen and my heart twists painfully. I grip the seat so tightly I lose feeling in my fingers.

"She named her eldest Lizzette." I croak. "Lizzy for short."

I shut my eyes tightly.

"Becky. Try Becky." I manage.

A few more clicking later, he clears his throat. I open my eyes and am confronted with a picture that is so clearly my friend that my eyes blur. I blink rapidly to read what it says.

"She married a Henry." I mutter while I imprinting her face into my memory. Keith shifts so he can look at me straight on.

"Lizzy...we can visit these people." He begins. "You can live here if you want, see them after all this time. We'll set up everything you need. You can be a part of your friends and family's life again-"

"No... That's not fair-not to them. Just drop me off wherever. It doesn't matter."

"You can come with us." He says quietly. "To Arus. Start a new life."

What? I shake my head.

"You're kidding. Move a whole planet? That's insane."

"It's up to you. Sleep on it today, we'll talk about it in the morning." Keith says standing up.

"What? You can't just say something like that and then expect me to sleep!" He opens a container in the wall and pulls out several blankets.

"This is a big decision, Lizzy. You can't make it on the spur of the moment- not when you're like this." Anger burns a hole in the numbness and I glare at him.

"You have no idea how I feel, Keith. How long have you known me, two days? I am...functional enough."

"No, I may not know how you feel, but I know how you look. Right now, you look worse than how you did when we rescued you from the Galra ship." He speaks firmly with no room for a protest and hands me a blanket. "We'll speak tomorrow." He says not unkindly.

All at once, the anger floods out and I discover that I am beyond exhausted. He's right, I think grudgingly, I can't even think straight. I watch him set his blanket several feet away from mine and wish I was like him-nothing fazes him. How does he do it?

"Tomorrow." I tell him.

"Tomorrow." He agrees.

"Maybe tomorrow will be our new always." I mumble as I spread the blanket on the floor and lay on it.

"What?"

"Nothing. 'M guess you had to be there." My head hits the floor and I am out.

When I wake up, it's still dark outside. For a second, I forget where I am and then everything comes flooding back again.

` The lump on my throat is the size of a golf-ball but I hold it in. As quietly as I can, I step over Keith and make my way outside.

The stars, although not as bright as the ones I have grown use to, still look breathtaking in the clear night. Red lays vigilant overlooking the vast desert. We traveled deeper into the desert yesterday to avoid detection from the locals. Locals. Did I really just use such an alienated term to describe my previous fellow citizens? I feel the chasm between me and them expand even further.

"Hey Red." I whisper to the lion. "Mind if I sit here?"

As expected, there's no answer so I just sit next to her.

"My parents are gone." I tell her after a few minutes. "They...you probably don't even have parents. But they mean-meant...a lot to me. I loved them. I guess I'ma have to get used to speaking in past terms."

The damn breaks and I start crying. I cry for the friends and family I never got to grow up with. For the thirty-six damn years I lost. Thirty-six years that could have been filled with my loved ones. With my mom-my beloved mom- who was always proud of me, no matter what. My dad who pushed me to be the best version of me.

"What am I going to do?" I sniffle after what seems like forever.

If I stay, there's no one I know. Not anymore. I could start over. Alone.

If I leave, there will be no going back. This is my last chance to reconnect. I could start over. Live in a new world.

I stand back up and head inside, careful not to wake Keith as I lay back down.

Tomorrow, I think. I'll decide tomorrow.


	10. Chapter 10 Keith

~Keith~

Side by side, we look at the vast graveyard extending in front of us. Dozens of trees are scattered around, making the place more lively than it has any right to be. It reminds me of those times after my father's death where I visited his grave. It never felt real-as if he was going to pop up besides me. But as the years went by, the idea of him being six feet under ground began to seem like there was never a time when he wasn't in the ground.

Besides me, Lizzy takes a shaky breath in and mumbles something in Spanish. Red is hidden in the garden behind us among the towering trees; despite the precaution, there is no one here this early in the morning.

"Right," She says, her head lifts up and she gets the soon-becoming familiar determined look. "I can do this."

We walk for a few minutes; all the while, I keep looking at her expecting her to break into tears. But her face is stony. Expressionless.

Finally, we reach the graves.

Norma Gomez Halliway. 1976- 2040.

Jacob Halliway. 1970- 2037.

"Hola Mama. Papa. Ya regresé -" Her voice breaks and she turns to looks at me, her eyes swimming in unshed tears. "Can you-I, um, need to be alone. Please."

I nod and start walking towards the shade of a tree that's far away to give her privacy. I'm tempted to call Shiro again just so I could take my eyes off of her defeated form but in the end, I decide against it. I sit against the tree and look around wondering how it must be to look at this world from half a century-old perspective.

The cars driving on the road must be new to her, right? The Treaty of the United Nations happened fifteen years ago-something she will definitively need to know if she decides to stay here. I make a mental note to explain to her recent world history.

What if she decides to leave with us?

It hits me that she still has that choice. I try to imagine her living in the castle and fail. Suddenly, I start to second guess myself. What if she dies because of an attack on the castle. She could get captured again by the Galra. A fate worse than death for her. I close my eyes and sigh.

Enough, Keith. Stop overthinking it.

I force myself to think of something else.

I must have dozed off because suddenly, I'm jerked awake by someone nudging my foot. Lizzy stands starting solemnly at me.

"I want to go to your planet." She says.

I stand up. "Look, Lizzy, I know that I said that but it was a bad idea. The risks. We aren't just space travelers. We fight and destroy enemies with the good chance that we might get killed ourselves. It's safer here. Do you really want to risk getting captured by the Galra again?" She winces but doesn't back down.

"Does it matter?" I'm taken aback by the bitterness in her voice. "Keith, my family is dead. Gone. My friends have gone all with their lives; they won't even remember me. There's nothing for me here."

Irrational anger fills me and I try to swallow it. "You can make a life here."

"I could make a life over there."

"This is the place you've been wanting to come back to."

"I wanted to come back to my parents. But you don't always get what you want, Keith."

This girl is infuriating. I bite down the urge to tell her something I know I'll regret.

"You said I get to decide and I have. I want to go to Arus." She juts her chin out.

"And then what?" I ask, my voice calm.

"And then... and then something. I don't know. But I wouldn't know either if I stayed on Earth." Suddenly she finds the grass to be the most interesting thing. "I can't stay here. Too much has changed; I don't think I'll never fit in, not that I did the first time around but at least I had people who loved me. Now..."

She looks so miserable that I suddenly hate myself for making her feel that way.

"Fine." I surprise myself as the word slips out. But then nod. It's her choice. "You can come."


	11. Chapter 11 Lizzy

~Lizzy~

"Fine. You can come."

I blink in surprise.

Just like that?

"Yes. Well. I plan to." I resist the urge to look back at the graveyard at my back. "How soon can we leave?"

"Soon," he promises. "You need to call Shiro first."

"But-" He cuts me off with a wave of his hand. Keith reaches into his jacket's pocket an takes out his communicator.

"I know just how you're serious about this but he doesn't. Lizzy, you are going to have to tell him the truth."

Anything to get away from here.

"I will." His eyes study mine and I force myself to maintain eye contact. He finally nods and presses button. After a few seconds Shiro's face appears on the screen.

"Keith." He starts to say but then he sees me. "Lizzy, how are you holding up?"

Terrible. The worst fucking thing has happened to me and that's saying a lot.

I shrug. "I'm peachy." My heart squeezes. I used to say that to my mom all the times she asked how school went. I clear my throat and focus on the problem at hand. "Shiro, I would like, if you and the others allow it, to go back with you to Arus."

He looks like he already knew what I was going to say. I know that everything rests on his decision and I try not to scream at the anxiety as he takes a few seconds to gather his thoughts.

"Lizzy, you do understand that this is dangerous. We are at constant war with the Galra-your abductors. The life you will be entering is not a peaceful one." I bite my tongue to keep from interrupting him. "Listen, I understand that your life may on Earth may seem impossible right now but that doesn't mean that it isn't something you could have. I want you to think, to really think about this question. Can you honestly imagine living on Earth right now?"

I force myself to think deeply. But I already know what I'm going to say.

"No. I can't live here."

Through the screen Shiro nods.

"Okay. I have talked to Allura and Coran about it and she agrees. It's very dangerous. We are at war. But it's up to you." I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding.

"Thank you. I won't let you down, I promise."

"I know you won't, kiddo." Suddenly I see why everyone on the team seems to have such great respect for Shiro. He's more than a great fighter or leader. He's...good.

"I know you may not be in the mood but Hank, Lance, and Pidge are going to some stores in an hour or so to get some provisions. This would be a great time to buy new clothes or supplies from Earth you won't find anywhere else."

"A shopping trip?" The words feel foreign in my mouth. Besides me Keith shifts.

"Shiro, I don't think this will be the best time for Lizzy to go shopping-"

"No, no it's okay." I tell him. "I'll go."

Keith looks at me. "Are you sure."

"I am."

Despite wanting to leave here as soon as possible, I know we won't leave until the others do. The last thing I want to do is be surrounded by my thoughts in the middle of the cemetery my parents are buried in.

"Well," Shiro says. "In any case, don't worry about the money, we've got that covered. Keith, watch out for Lance don't let him get into trouble." Keith looks like he's about to protest but he nods anyway. "And take care, both of you. I'll see you in a while. If any problem arises, call me."

"We will," Keith says. Shiro looks satisfied and disconnects the call. I stare at the black screen unable to wrap my head around the idea that technology-even human technology- has gone so far since my time. After a few seconds, I give the device back to Kieth and I feel the question he's about to ask. Are you okay? I meet his eyes and force a smile before he has a chance to open his mouth.

"Let's go?"

It's late morning on a Tuesday. Besides the shopkeepers and the sparse people milling around, it's pretty empty. But it still feels like the world's most claustrophobic place. My eyes dart around everywhere and it takes me a while to realize that I'm waiting for an attack.

"Those are cool shoes." I tell Keith as I nod vaguely at a shoe store. "They are real...shoey"

The poor boy looks so confused for a second."Are you sure you're-"

"Oh look! There they are." I sigh in relief as I take in the sight of the other Paladins. Pidge is wandering around pulling a Target shopping cart full of electronics behind her. Lance and Hunk are further back looking into a store and nodding excitedly. Pidge and the rest catches up with us.

"So I heard you were staying with us." I ignore the way Lance's eyebrows wiggle and I nod.

"Here," Lance's face suddenly lights up. He skips up to me, grabs my wrist and starts pulling me away. "Hunk, you've gotta help me choose some clothes for her."

"I have clothes." I protest.

"You're going to need more than the clothes on your back if you're going to go with us." He points out. I finally relent, only because I can't face Keith's pitying eyes anymore. I need to be with someone who doesn't know that my parents...

"Fine. Okay, let's go." Lance pumps his fists in the air and lets go of my wrist. I follow him and try not to look back at Keith.

"What store should we go to Hunk?" He asks his friend. Before Hunk can even respond, Lance swirls around and grins. "Where do you want to go? It must have been months since you've been to an actual store."

If I'm going to be living with all of them, they might as well know the truth.

"Actually it's been thirty-six years."

They freeze. Hunk is the first to get it and soon that same pity fills his eyes. Lance is still looking at me like I made a joke.

"You mean..." Hunk starts. I avoid Hunk's eyes to not look at the pity in them.

"Yes, my parents are dead. And my friends all have children of their own." I say calmly but inside I'm feeling anything but that.

"I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

I nod because I don't trust my voice not to crack. Next to me, it finally dawns on Lance.

"Wait. You mean... You're from the past. How?..." I open my mouth to speak but the damn words won't come out.

"Lizzy!" Pidge catches up to us as she pulls the shopping cart behind her. "Let's go look at the radios. I need them to make this transmitter that I've been working on." She pulls me away from them and squeezes my arm reassuringly. "Hunk," she calls out without turning back. "Just buy her the necessary clothes. Don't let Lance choose them."

I hear Lance protest but Hunk agrees anyway.

"It looked like you needed help." She says once we're out of earshot. "I heard about your parents. I'm really sorry. I understand what it's like to have your family taken from you."

I look at her and I see pity in her eyes. But also understanding. It transforms the pity into compassion-suddenly, I feel a flood of warmth towards her.

"Thank you.I...that means a lot." That's all I can say because I feel if I even say another word on the subject, I will start sobbing in the middle of the mall. Thankfully, she seems to understand this and nods.

"You're going to love it in Arus." She says as we enter an electronic store. "I'm personally not that much of an outdoor girl myself but it's really pretty. I mean, sure we have attacks on the base but that's to be expected."

We head towards the antique section of the store, passing futuristic devices on the way. I swallow the urge to ask Pidge what every little thing does. We reach the antique part and I find that basically everything that I had from Before is here.

"Aww come on. Is the iPhone 7 really that antique?" She examines the device I'm pointing to.

"Yeah, the iPhone company went out of business like ten years ago."

"Wow."

"What are the transmitters for?" I ask as she shifts through the antique radios. She smiles, happy that someone is taking an interest in her tinkering.

"I want to hook up the lions with emergency transmitters. Just in case the transmitters in the lions stop working-believe it or not, it's happened a few times before."

"You could do that? Construct a transmitter from old radios?" I ask in amazement. Pidge beams and nods excitedly. She begins to explain exactly how she plans to do it in rapid fire electronic jargon and I try my best to keep up. When she finishes I have a vague sense that I understood it. My gaze wonders and lands on a television set. I remember what Keith told me and that sparks an idea and for the first time that day, I feel excited.

"Hey Pidge, I have an idea..."

As I talk, her smiles grows wider and wider.

Two hours later, we emerge from a movie store with a USB type device full of thousands of movie titles. Turns out in the future, one doesn't need to buy the whole DVD. They just need to download it from a store. The shopping cart has a new addition- a television-or at least what passes for a television. The device looks like a simple a five foot stick but the screen is a hologram.

It turns out that Pidge knows a way to connect the TV to the castle's power source. I briefly wonder what Keith's reaction might be. I choose all the "classics" that I think they would like and in turn, Pidge choose all the "modern" movies that came out after I disappeared.

"You need to catch up on your culture." She told me as she added movie after movie. "And that includes watching all the movies. And shows."

Oddly enough, that statement didn't hurt as much as it should. I feel a wave of guilt as I realize that I'm adapting to all this quicker than I should.

"Lizzy," Pidge starts as we start to head back to out previously arranged meeting spot. "Are you sure you want to go to Altea?"

"I'm sure."

"Why?" She asks genuinely curious.

"I just...I can't stay here. I feel out of touch with everything- like everyone is living their own life but I'm still stuck in the past. I feel..like a ghost."

I feel relieved to finally say aloud those words and thankfully she nods. She understands. That alone- knowing that I have a friend in the world- is enough to make things okay. Not everything, it will be a long time for everything to be okay,if ever; but enough so that the world does not seem so lonely anymore.


	12. Chapter 12 Keith

~Keith~

I drop to my knees as the sword passes over my head and sweep the robot's feet from under him. He falls to the ground and before it gets up, I dive for its sword, rip it from its grasp, and stab it. The training robot immediately stops struggling and disappears from under me.

"Training level: 9 complete. " The computer voices.

"That was good, you're getting better at fighting without your sword." Shiro congratulates.

After succeeding in passing many of the levels using my bayard, Shiro suggested I start practicing without it. 'You've got to be prepared for any fighting situation. Or at least try to', he said. I knew he was right but it still annoyed me I had to start all the way from level 1 when I reached level 17 in the course of these months.

"Remember, with hand-to-hand combat you spend a lot more energy blocking and attacking your opponent. It's not like it is with the bayard, your hands are your weapons. Next time, try avoiding defensive moves that make you spend more energy. In a life or death situation, there's no point doing all those fancy flips if the enemy defeats you simply because you're tired."

I nod, still out of breath. I wipe my forehead and clear my throat.

"Start training level-"

"No." Shiro interrupts me. "You need to rest."

"I need to get better." I tell him but he hands me my water bottle.

"Rest. You can't get better when you're too unfocused."

"But-"

"Rest."

"And this is the training room." I glance up and see Lance and Lizzy in the training room entrance. She's wearing a white shirt and jeans I assume she got from Earth. She studies the room curiously and after a few seconds, leans in to him and says something I can't make out. Lance starts cracking up with her. Her laugh is high and sweet. With a start I realize that it's the first time I've heard her laugh.

I scowl. Of course, Lance wouldn't be Lance if he didn't flirt with every moving object.

"Right! That's what I thought too!" Lance exclaims. I cross my arms and looked at Shiro, he just looks amused.

"You're showing her around?" Shiro asks Lance from besides me.

"Obviously, no one else is quite as qualified to show her around." I roll my eyes when he winks at us.

"Allura is. So is Coran. Hunk and Pidge." I point out but he waves me off.

"They're busy."

"Have you trained today, Lance?" Shiro asks and Lance shakes his head. "You should. I want to work on a few points with you. Keith'll show Lizzy around."

"We still need to-"

"I'm not done yet, I still-" We start to protest but Shiro cuts us off.

"You need to take a break. You've been going at this for three hours. And you," he turns to Lance. "Let's see if your hand-to-hand combat has gotten better."

"But I'm showing her around-" Lance starts but is silenced by Shiro's expression. "Fine."

"Keith," Shiro tells me. "Go give her a tour. Rest. We'll work on this tomorrow."

I nod and Lance grumbles when we pass each other.

Lizzy looks uncomfortable when I approach. I feel a stab of guilt when I realized how hard I protested to showing her around.

"Hi." She says forcing a smile.

"Hey." A few awkward seconds pass. "So what did you already see?"

"Um, most of the castle. I think Lance said I still needed the kitchen and outside."

I start leading her towards the dining room.

How do you like it so far? What's your favorite part of the castle? How are you? There are so many times where I almost ask her this to do anything to break the heavy silence but in the end I stop myself before the words even come out of my mouth. We finally reach the kitchen and I show her around as best I can; which isn't very good.

"This is it. I personally don't know much about the kitchen- it's more of Hunk's domain than anything."

"I like his food. Especially the potatoes one. I've never been much of a cooker but do you think he'll teach me?" She asks.

"Yeah. I think he would." She studies the kitchen. "You still need outside right?"

We start walking towards the healing pod; which has the nearest door opening outside. It occurs to me that she has never really seen the planet during the day.

"You fight good." She says after a bit.

"Thanks."

"No, really. You do. You're quick. I bet I can beat you though." She smiles mischievously at me. I'm taken aback by this teasing girl who seems nothing like the girl I've grown to know. With a start I realize that I don't know anything about her at all. All I've seen is the part of her that is a broken girl who has lost everything. There are other parts of her that I don't even know about. I start to wonder what those parts hold.

We walk past the healing pods and I open the doors. Fresh air fills my lungs as I breath in; I never really liked the recycled air in the castle- it has a certain chemical taste to it. The trees rise up in the distance but even from here, we can hear the sounds of what I assume to be some sort of Arusian bird species.

"So, tell me, what lives here?" Her eyes dart around curiously as if she could see the planet's secrets from the castle. I start to explain about the tribe of aliens that live peacefully in the surrounding areas. She gets really excited over that and asks me so many questions about them that I can't even answer all of them. After I have exhausted my knowledge on them, she moves on to the types of animals and plants living here.

"Honestly, I don't think even Allura or Coran know about them. The planet has had 10,000 years to evolve, I doubt that there are any species that lived in their time that have remained the same today."

She looks a little disappointed but her eyebrows furrow thoughtfully.

"I think I have an idea..." She hesitates. Footsteps sound from behind us.

"Ah there you guys are!" Hunk smiles at us. "Time for dinner."


	13. Chapter 13 Lizzy

~Lizzy~

So then after failing marvelously with the food vender, he moves on to the waitress. When the alien finally comes to attend us, Lance says in his most 'seductive' voice, "What does the chef order?". And do you know what the alien does?" Pidge has a hard time keeping a straight face. Everyone else in the table is trying to hold their laughter; even Lance who looks mildly embarrassed.

"Come on, it was an honest mistake-" He starts to say. I grin, already feeling there's a twist coming.

"The alien, says in a deep manly voice, "I think you can order me, baby."" The table erupts into laughter and Pidge has to shout to make herself heard. "Then he winked at Lance and you know what!?"

"Pidge." Lance complains between laughs.

"He screams- making the highest-pitched noise you could think of- and he slumps down under the table." The mental image of that is enough to make me join them in laughter. It takes several minutes for us to calm down, my face hurts from smiling so much.

"The Ballmeds people are very flirtatious species." Coran explains to me. "They can change their sex to appeal to their mate."

Lance's face flushes even more.

"I did not need those details Coran!" He protests covering his ears.

"What about you, Lizzy. Do you have any humorous anecdotes?" Allura asks. The whole table quiets in anticipation. I try to remember anything and I'm almost about to give up when a sudden memory hits me.

"Oh my god, I have one. It's more embarrassing than funny. So I was applying for a job at Macy's and during the interview the guy asked 'Tell me a little about yourself'. Now, this was my first job interview so I was super nervous.; I got so nervous that I totally forgot who I was! I could not for the life of me remember what I did for fun or what where I volunteered. So there I was, sweating in that stupid leather chair when a movie I watched the day before came to my mind. I don't know if you've heard about it in your time but it was Deadpool."

"Oh! I love that classic!" Hunk says. I feel happy that at least we share a common movie.

"I started to explain to the guy that I was just a city girl who has fallen into some hard times because my ass of an ex, Francis, took my boyfriend to his side by brainwashing him that I was bad for him. So I had to work in order to convince my boyfriend that I was responsible."

"Did he figure it out?" Keith asks.

"Oh yeah. Definitely. The interviewer was a total geek too. Which is why...I got the job!"

Hunk claps for me and I smile.

"But I ended up getting fired because I had a fight with a customer."

"What did you fight about?" Shiro asks. I smile a little embarrassed.

"It was on the topic of whether DC or Marvel was better. Obviously it's Marvel. But the other person didn't agree."

They laugh but Allura and Coran have a pensive look.

"So is this 'DC' and 'Marvel' different species of aliens at war?" Allura asks.

"In a way." Pidge says.

"So wait," I say. "Are they still active in your time?"

"Definitely. They remade the Spider-man movies like four more times. You've gotta see the newest one, I think that one is the best." Lance says leaning back in the chair. My eyes widen and I swirl around and meet Pidge's eye. She reads the question on my face and nods.

"I have an idea!" She says getting up. "Stay here. Don't move. Hunk, get the stuff I told you about! Lizzy, come with me."

"What's this about?" Shiro asks.

"Just don't move until we come get you!" I tell them as I stand up and follow Pidge out the kitchen.

"Is it ready." I ask as soon as we're out of earshot. We walk quickly towards her room.

"Yes. I fixed it up this morning to connect to the Castle's power-source. We can use my room, it's big enough to fit everyone."

We finally reach her room and I immediately get to work. I start by getting out the extra pillows and blankets that Pidge got from I don't know where. And I lay the extra chairs besides her bed. Pidge lays down the television stick by the wall, the hologram projects a hundred titles of movies.

"Did Hunk make them?" I ask and I see her nod.

"He doesn't know why, but we got our snacks covered. You're about to be exposed to everything that you missed...starting with the Spider-man movies."

"Whoa, how did you guys manage to hook it up to the Castle system?" Hunk asks as he enters the room, the plate of cookies he holds wobbles precariously.

"It was all Pidge." I tell them proudly.

"Aww yes! A movie night!" Lance plops down on the floor closest to the television. The rest of the team starts to file in with excited looks on their faces. They find a seat and settle down one by one; it's a bit tight, but we all fit. I find myself sitting between Pidge and Hunk.

"What's a 'movie'? Is it another of your Earthean customs?" Allura asks.

"Girl, I am going to show you all the romantic movies we have." Lance winks at her and she rolls her eyes.

"Movies are like your educational films but more..." Shiro hesitates.

"Better?" Offers Keith.

"Yeah, those films are not that great. Keith and I almost died last time!" Hunk complains. I make a mental note to ask them how an educational film almost killed them.

"Everyone shut up! The movie's about to start!" Pidge turns off the lights with a hand-held remote and uses the same remote to start the movie. "I may have tinkered a bit with it." She tells me slyly when she catches me staring at it.

"Wait, what movie is it? It's not a horror one, right? Because I can't stand them." Hunk whispers as he passes his cookies around.

"It's Spider-man," I tell him. "Apparently I need to catch up on my culture."

"When we get to the horror genre, you can sit next to me." Lance looks at me and wiggles his eyebrows. "I'll hold you if you get scared."

I just laugh. Lance has a gift. Honestly. It takes a certain skill to turn everything into a pick-up line.

"Considering how you reacted at that alien, I think I would be the one holding you." He sticks his tongue out at me and Hunk laughs besides me.

"She got you." He says.

"Everyone, shut up, the movie's starting." Keith's voice sounds from somewhere to my right. We all settle down as the scene starts. Right from the start, I see the difference from the movies in my day. The quality is way clearer- something that I never imagined that could actually improve. Marvel's style also changed throughout the years but not in a bad way.

I look around and I realize that I'm not the only one amazed at Earth's movies. Both Allura and Coran stare wide-eyed at the screen-clearly experiencing some sort of epiphany. And Shiro has fallen asleep, a trait that reminds me of my dad. Surprisingly, Keith seems really engaged with the movie, he cheers whenever the enemy loses and yells at Spider-man trying to correct the wrong moves the superhero makes when fighting.

I could get used to this, I think. I smile throughout the movie.


	14. Chapter 14 Keith

~Keith~

"Alright team, let's try that again." Shiro says. There are several halfhearted protests but we all get into position. Voltron crouches and rolls, immediately we rise up. Several things happen at once. Shiro's rockets make us fly while Hunk and Lance push the feet out. I quickly jolt the control and bring my sword down; cutting an imaginary enemy; while Lance's part kicks out after. Except he waited too long, and we lose balance.

"Lance! Pay attention!" I yell into the comms. "Stop messing around!"

The response comes immediately. "I was, Mullet-Boy! If you hadn't been showing off with your sword, I might have kicked harder."

"Oh, now it's my fault."

"Duh."

"Enough." Shiro's voice calls out. "That's enough for today. We'll try again tomorrow. Go to the training room when we're done; we need to do a team building exercise."

"But we just did one yesterday." Hunk groans.

"Having lunch together doesn't count." Pidge points out.

"Well, right now, we're not acting much like a team." Shiro says.

He's right. We all know it, which is why no body dares to protest. Ten minutes later, we're all out of our suits and in the training room. Allura, Coran, and Lizzy are waiting for us. Lance is, as usual, complaining. I have a hard time not yelling at him to stop; one of us has to be the mature one. Of course that all is thrown out the window when he makes a stupid comment.

"It's not as if the Galra are going to care if we do a flip incorrectly." He says. "We've beat them before, we can do it again."

"Beat them?" I face him and suddenly the anger is out of control. "That was a battle, Lance. We haven't even won the war. Your lack of judgement can cost us Voltron. And then where would we be-?"

His eyes narrowed. "Yeah? Well your recklessness can do the same. Do you even think before doing anything? No wonder you got kicked out of the academy."

Allura and Shiro come between us before we escalate to blows.

"Enough!" She yells. "You are members of Voltron. Act like it. People are dying across the universe because of the Galra. It's your job to stop that from happening and all you are doing is bickering like children!"

Coran steps besides her. "Princess, I think we all need a break. We have been going at this training for a week. We're running ourselves ragged. Perhaps getting out of the castle will do the Paladins some good."

"That would actually be a good idea." Pidge says. That shuts us up. If Pidge is willing to go outdoors, then it must be really bad.

"Then that decides it." Shiro says. "It has been a while since we have visited the Arusians."

Allura looks like she's about to protest but then sighs. "Fine. But I expect your best tomorrow. I'll stay here, there are some things I need to work on."

"I'll tell them you say hi." Hunk says.

"Can I come?" Lizzy speaks up. "I kinda want to meet the locals."

"Of course." Shiro tells her and then turns to us. "Let's go."

"I thought you guys did pretty good." Lizzy tells me. My team is walking ahead in the forest path.

"No, we didn't." I say. "There's still so much we need to work on. Zarkon has yet to be defeated. And Lance is acting like it's not a big deal."

"Maybe. But everyone has different ways to deal with stress. You guys have been practicing almost non-stop this whole week. I think you forget that you are still teenagers."

I scoff.

"I'm serious. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. Now, let's not talk about this anymore. Tell me about the Arusians."

The last thing I want to do is talk but she looks so curious I can't help myself.

"Alright, they're friendly people. They can be a little extreme at times; to be honest, we still haven't figured them out. There's still a lot we don't know." The road bends and the village comes into view. Turtle-like homes about our height are scattered around the clearing in an organized manner. The rest of the team has already arrived and the Arusians are crowding around them. When they see us, some run up to meet us.

"Another one!" A female says excitedly. "The gods have created a new one. Who's offspring is a she?"

"Um, I'm no one's daughter here. Just a...friend." Lizzy says. She kneels down to reach their height.

"Ah." Another Arusian- a male this time- as if everything suddenly makes sense. "You are the Red one's new mate."

"No." I force a smile. "She is a friend. That's it."

I look at Lizzy and find that her face is pink with embarrassment. I have no doubts that mine looks the same.

"Pleased to meet you." She extends her hand and they look at it, unsure what to do. Finally one of them starts to nibble on her fingers. "Of course. I'm so stupid. You have different customs. Tell me, how do you greet each other here?"

The female that spoke with us first places her left palm on her foreheads and brings it outwards at an arc. Lizzy copies the move and they start chattering happily.

"Yes! That is the correct way!" One says.

"Teach me more." Lizzy says. She sits down with her legs crossed and stares in rapture as they explain more customs. I head over to Shiro; he's looking on as the team talks to the locals. He's far enough away that our team won't hear us talk.

"Keith." He greets.

"Shiro." I look for the right words. "It was irresponsible of me to lose control like that. Especially when out team still needs to train-"

"Keith, we've all been stressed. It's only natural to lash out...But I have already told you before, if anything happens to me, I want you to lead Voltron. Which is why you need to work on working with others, even Lance."

"I already told you, nothing's going to happen to you. There's no point in telling me that it will. Besides, I'm not exactly leader material."

"You are. You need to have more confidence in yourself. Believe me, you can lead Voltron." I stay silent. There's no point in arguing with him. Hunk suddenly yells as Lance jumps on him laughing. It seems that this trip has helped their moods, they seem more relaxed.

As the sun begins to set, the Arusians make a giant bonfire and we all sit around while they tell stories of their myths. There is an air of celebration overhead. We eat their foods-a welcome change from the green goo in the castle- and listen to their tales. During one of their dances, Lizzy walks up to me and sits down in the log next to mine. It feels odd, to have someone who actively want your company...And vice-versa. I realize that what I said earlier was the truth, we have become friends.

"I've been thinking about something for some time now. But I need a second opinion." She says.

"What is it?"

"It's about this planet. There's so much you don't know yet. I was thinking..." She trails off. "I was thinking that I could-"

My communicator buzzes and Allura's voice fills my ear.

"Paladins. Report to the castle immediately! The computers have picked up a Galra ship headed towards us. This is not a drill!"


	15. Chapter 15 Lizzy

~Lizzy~

The Paladins form Voltron. I watch it all happen through the Castle's control room. Allura is shouting urgently into the communicator, relaying everything that her computer's are getting. Coran is at his station, preparing the particle barrier and the ship's weapons.

For the first time, the situation becomes real. We are at war.

Voltron stands ready in front of the castle-waiting. It doesn't take long before the monster to arrive, and when it does, all hell breaks loose. The robot is twice the length of Voltron, in the shape of a huge serpent. It somehow keeps itself in air despite it not having any wings.

"Voltron, attack!" Allura yells into the comms.

And it does. From the screens I see my friends blasting the robot but besides making it angry, it is relatively unharmed. Then they try to cut it with Keith's sword, I'm sure that they will win but they only manage to but it in half. The half with the head keeps on attacking, fangs bit into the Voltron armor and my friends struggle to get it off. My heart clenches as I think that they will not make it but they put a sword through it's metal eyes and the robot twitches before remaining still. Voltron stays there for a few minutes ready for it to spring up again but with half its robot brain gone, it doesn't

The team cheers and I sigh in relief. It was a close battle, I'm glad my friends are okay. Allura congratulates the team and tells them to come in; there'e dinner waiting.

Coran immediately goes to prepare it and I stay behind with Allura. She's checking on Voltron's status to see if the fangs damaged it. When she's sure it's not she turns around to head to the kitchen but stops when she sees me.

"I would like to talk with you." I tell her.

"Of course, is there something troubling you?" She asks.

"No, it's more of an idea." I wring my hands and hope that this is a good plan. "I've noticed that you don't know much about this planet. I mean, you've been living here for ten thousand years, and there's still not much you know."

She seems to agree and it gives me the encouragement to go on.

"Today, with the Arusians, I had an idea. One that I've been hoping that you would like. I'm not very useful here." She starts to protest and I continue on. "But I think I can be useful doing something else. It would help to take my mind of my...parents. As I was saying before, you don't even know what species live here. I always wanted to be an explorer anyway...I could explore your new world for you. Tell you if there are any more intelligent life forms or what kinds of living creatures here are here." Excitement starts to make me talk faster. "Even simple map-making can chart the whole jungle out there; and that's just here. Who knows what can be out there fifty, a hundred miles from here. I could explore and catalog it, so that you can see it as well."

"That would be...incredible!" Her eyes brighten and her whole face lights up. The mice on her shoulder start scurrying around excitedly. "I've been wanting to do that but it was always going to wait after we defeat Zarkon. I fully support you! After all, I need to know about the very creatures I live with."

"Really? You think it's a good idea?" Hope wells up.

"Yes! There are some resources I can give you, a hover-bike, food, and technology to catalog the species. But I think you are going to need some expert help from the Arusians. Go there tomorrow and learn whatever you can from them. Then when you can't learn more, seek the knowledge yourself."

I'm so happy that I run up and hug her. She wraps her arms around me and for a second I think if this is what it's like to have a sister.

"I won't disappoint you, Allura." I tell her as I let go.

She smiles. "I know. We'll talk about the details later, for now, let's go eat."


	16. Chapter 16 Keith

~Keith~

Just as I'm about to initiate another level Lizzy walks into the training room and looks around. There's something different about her. She's smiling, she's been smiling ever since dinner. There, suddenly she's turned into the joking girl that I haven't met before. Even Lance was surprised. I wonder if part of who she was before the Galra took her is starting to show through.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" I ask. She shakes her head trying to hold her smile in but failing.

"I'll tell you but first you have to teach me to fight."

That catches me by surprise. I'm not sure I head right.

"Fight?"

"Yeah. I mean, I knew just enough to survive in the arena." Her good mood vanishes and she looks away. "But if something like that ever happens again, I want to do more than survive. "

"Nothing like that will ever happen again." I reassure her. "You're safe here."

She looks at me and I can see she's not convinced. "We're in the middle of a war. I want to learn how to protect myself."

That makes sense.

"Okay. We're going to start with the basics." She starts to protest but I cut her off. "I first need to see your skill level, then we'll go from there."

"Fine."

I lead her to the weaponry and wait until she chooses her weapon. It's a sword, a little thinner than my own but that only means it's quicker.

"I used to have something like this back with the Galra." She tells me as we walk back to the training room. This is the first time I've heard her talk so much about it. I want to ask her so many questions but at the same time, I don't want to press her.

"Then you will do good with it. Are you ready?" I walk back to the outer walls and see her nod.

"Yeah. I am."

"Computer, begin level one."

A robot soldier appears before her and I see her tense. It attacks and she darts around and slashes it in the back. Her speed surprises me, she's faster then she looks. The robot disintegrates and she smiles back at me.

"Level one complete." We're informed.

"How was that?" She's not even breathless.

"Let's move on to level two." I tell her.

In the end, it's not until we get to level four that she begins to fail the simulation. By that time, I see what her weakness and strengths are. She's fast, she darts in and out, faster than I ever thought. But she's also holding back. On level four I see that whenever there is a kill shot clearly open before her, she chooses to slash rather than stab.

I can't decide whether to admire or become frustrated with her. In the end, I chose the former.

"You could have dispatched him there but you settles for a cut." I tell her after she fails another round at the fourth level. "What's a cut going to do with a Galra twice your size? You're going to get killed if you fight like this in a real battle."

"At the arena I won if I drew first blood. There was no need to kill."

"But you're not in the arena anymore, Lizzy. This is war. Besides, you're not really killing anything, most of the Galra's troops are mainly machines."

Her eyes furrow as she considers it. "I know. But it feels wrong."

I have to try to find a way to convince her. If there's an actual battle and she fights like this, she could die. I'm surprised by how much I hate that idea.

"They're robots right now." I tell her. "You're not hurting anyone."

She seems like she's about to argue when she considers it.

"Okay. Let me try again."

This time, she passes level four and moves on to level five. Before she starts, I know she won't pass; she's too tired. And she doesn't, but she doesn't look so frustrated about that. I offer her some water and we sit down on one of the benches.

"You did good." I tell her.

She smiles gratefully and chugs down the water.

"Okay so now that you know kind of where I am, later, can you teach me all those cool tricks that you do? I've never formally learned them and I feel like I'm doing some of them wrong." She says.

I nod. "You know, you're up a pretty high level considering it's all self-taught. In just a little more time, you'll catch up to me."

I mean it, she has potential.

"Cool." She says. "I'm going to beat you one of these days."

"Doubtful."

"You'll see. You're going to be all surprised when I do."

"I really won't." She's the first to smile at our banter.

"If I do, you're going to owe me..." She trails off as she thinks. "A trip to the space mall! I heard Lance talking about it earlier, he mentioned that there was this knife store. You went to that one, right?"

I nod.

"Well, I was thinking on buying me a dagger, one of my own, you know?" She pauses and takes another drink of her water. "Okay, so do you want to know what I asked Allura before dinner?"

"What."

Her eyes light up as she talks about exploring the planet; I've got to admit, I've thought about it a few times myself but Voltron comes first. My interest peaks when she goes into detail about all that she plans to do. It takes me a while to realize what's different about her. She finally has hope-something to look forward to.

I'm in my room the next day when she knocks on my door. The sun is just starting to set and she's barely come back from her time with the Arusians.

"Keith! Hunk told me that you know how to ride a motorcycle. Okay, so Allura has this hover-bike-but neither her or Coran have ever used it so they don't know how. And so Hunk suggested that you could teach me. So, can you?" She catches her breath; there are only a few times that I've seen her this excited and for some reason, I can't say no.

"Sure. I don't know about the hover-bike here but I had one at home, we'll see if they're similar." I say and she smiles widely.

"Okay. And also," She looks at the ground for a second. When she looks back up, her ears are a little red. "I was wondering that if you're not too busy, you would like to train? With me?"

My face gets hot for some reason and I nod. "Yeah, I'd like that."


	17. Chapter 17 Lizzy

~Lizzy~

He's fast.

I duck as he swipes for my face and receive a blow to my side with with other hand. First, he's decided to train without weapons, which is just as well because I don't want to accidentally hurt him. As we finish with the beginning of hand-to-hand combat, we'll get ready for weapons.

"Keep your guard up." He says. I crouch a little more to protect my side and attack again. He dodges easily and kicks out. I jump backwards and he misses by a few inches. "Your reaction time is good. But it can be better."

Time passes as we fight, he starts offering advise each time I mess up and despite it only being the first practice, I feel myself getting better. If only I had this training back at the Galra, I wouldn't have been so terrified all the time.

I block his fist with the meat of my arm but then he twists his arm around and suddenly I'm thrown to the floor.

"That was so cool!" I say when I can breath again. I stand up and grin at him. "Show me how to do that."

He tells me to get my arm into a certain position then he does it again in slow motion without flipping me this time. Keith shows me a few more times until I finally get it and I try it on him. After a few failed tries, I finally get it right and he flips to the ground. His surprised face makes me burst out laughing. I offer him my hand and he takes it.

"I did it!" He's a little too close to me; my face heats up and I take a step back. I try not to think about the way his hand felt with mine. "Okay, what other tricks do you have?"

"First let's try the one you just learned again. It's very different doing that on a willing person than doing it in the middle of a battle." He crouches into position and I do the same. "Ready?"

"Yes."

I'm gulping down my water as fast as I can as I rest on the bench. Besides me, Keith doesn't even look breathless; I wonder if I'll ever get up to his level. He good- no. He's great. Next to Shiro, he's the best one here; I've heard Pidge talking about that with Hunk. They didn't seem bitter about it, but proud. I am too now that Keith and Shiro are one of my teammates.

"Tomorrow we'll keep practicing hand-to-hand; maybe we'll start with the weapons by next week." He tell me.

"How do you know what day it is? Arus's days and months must be so different from Earth's." It's been something that I've been wondering about for some time now.

"Pidge installed a clock and calendar in our rooms. It tells us the time and date that it is back on Earth; if you want I could tell her that you want one." He says.

"That would be nice." I'll at least have some small reminder from Earth even if it's not tangible.

Loud voices come from the door and the Paladins enter the training room. They seem unsurprised to see Keith here but do a little double-take when they see me.

"Did you come here to see me train?" Lance winks.

"Lance." Pidge groans. "Grow up."

"I should go." I tell Keith. The team is going to do some exercises together and I don't want to get in the way. I wave goodbye as I find my way out the door and head towards Allura. Ever since talking with the Arusians, I've heard some survival tips and instructions to use when I explore out there. I've never been on an expedition like this, especially not in an alien world. The aliens have given me a long list of objects that I will really need; there are some that I'm hoping Allura will have.

I briefly wonder if there is some sort of 3D journal that will allow me to scan an organism and simultaneously take notes on it. Excitement flares up and I resist the urge to pump my arms in the air. This exploring thing is going to be amazing.


	18. Chapter 18 Keith

A week has passed since Lizzy first asked to be trained and I've got to admit, she's getting better. Her reflexes are faster now and her attacks are less hesitant; I wonder if this pride is how Shiro felt about me when he trained me.

I stretched my wounded shoulder and watch as my team shovels food into their mouth. There was a fight in a nearby planet two days ago, we've freed some slaves being forced to gather provisions for Zarkon's fleet. In the process, a shot got me in my arm-nothing major but enough to put me into a healing pod if I wanted; which I didn't. I'm starting to regret my decision now.

My eyes wander to Lizzy as she laughs at Lance's lame joke. Her face goes red as she struggles to laugh and swallow her food at the same time. She was with the Arusians when we got called for that mission but she saw the aftermath. Despite our wounds, our team was in high spirits; it was another victory for Voltron. She catches my eyes and smiles at me.

"Keith! Do Keith!" She tells Pidge. I hadn't noticed that the table was laughing at the little robot that Pidge brought to the table. It is the about a foot tall, human shaped, and it's able to move on it's own. Pidge taps a few commands on her remote and the robot gets into a fighting stance. The metal shifted colors until I'm looking at a crude mini version of me.

I laugh along with the table as it somersaults into a bowl of pudding. Next, Pidge commands the robot to impersonate Shiro. Lance runs over to Pidge and whispers in her ear.

"Yes!" She yells. The robot bends its right arm and puts his head into the crook of his elbow and extends the other arm.

"Dab!" Lance imitates the robot and Lizzy gasps.

"Oh my god, they still have dabbing in the future?" She asks.

Hunk nods. "Well not really, Lance and I found it in one of our textbooks and decided to do our handshake like that. We told Pidge about it later on. I keep forgetting you're older than us."

"Technically Coran is older, then Allura, then me." She laughs a little. "I'm older than Shiro."

"Everyone is older than Shiro." Lance smirks. "He's six years old."

Shiro shakes his head. "I should have never told you that."

"Shiro was born in a leap year, he's the baby of this family." Lance informs Lizzy. His words sink in and I realize he's right. We are a family. I've always wondered what it's like to have siblings, and now I know.


	19. Chapter 19 Lizzy

~Lizzy~

I adjust my pack on my shoulders and look at my transport. The sleek motorcycle-looking ride doesn't have any wheels so try to imagine how it functions. Three days ago, Keith took one look at it and said that he's never driven something like this; but that he'll try to figure out how to. But he never got the chance because the injury he got from his shoulder started to get worse so Shiro forced him to get into the healing room. That stubborn boy. If he had gotten into it before he could have avoided all of this. I'm hesitant to leave to explore without him here.

"So, this is actually very easy to handle." Pidge says proudly as she hops on it. Two straps immediately wrap themselves around her shoulders and the seat adjusts itself to her height. "It works kinda like a hoverboard. All you need to do is press this button and use these handles to maneuver. Look." She presses the button she showed me and the transport rises a few feet.

"Whoa."

She pulls a lever and it rises even more. Besides me, Hunk shifts around uncomfortably. He grips the package that he brought out with him.

"See!" She shouts down. "From what I can tell, the height limit for this is around four hundred feet."

"Be careful, Pidge." He calls out.

She abruptly drops it down and I scramble away.

"What did I say, you're going to get blown up one of these days because of your machines." Hunk protests but it seems like they've gone over this point many times and the banter is simply a habit.

"Yeah yeah, my babies won't hurt me." She gets off and looks at me eagerly. "Want to try it?"

I have never even ridden a motorcycle before. The alien transport looks like something that will most likely crash and burn under my hands. And the only safely points Pidge went over is to not fall off. There is only one reasonable response to being asked a question like that.

"Hell yes!"

Thirty seconds later, I am on it and Pidge is giving me a few pointers as my fingers itch to take this to new heights.

"The left handle is for height-pull it up or down depending on how high you want to go- and the right handle is for speed. Pretty self-explanatory, twist away from you for speed and twist towards you to stop."

"How fast can this go?" I ask.

"Two hundred sixty miles an hour." Hunk says. My eyes widen. The seat belts that wrap around me suddenly don't seem tight enough.

"Um, is there like a helmet or something?"

Pidge gets goggles out of her bag and passes them to me.

"There's no helmet because there is no point. Falling from this going at that speed...let's just say a helmet will not protect you. But these goggles will protect your eyes against the wind." Suddenly the prospect of riding this doesn't seem so exciting.

"Lucky me." I mutter.

"As long as you go slow and be careful, you'll be fine." Hunk tries to reassure me.

Pidge pats the space behind me. "There is a compartment here, it has food tablets, water, a couple of flares, and medical supplies. There is a GPS-like application; I've already put in the coordinates you told me yesterday so all you have to do is travel along the line." She shows me the little screen near the handles with the directions ready. "I also installed an autopilot feature but it only works to take you back to the castle."

"Here," Hunk says as he gives me a package he's been holding on. "I made some food for you."

I go warm with gratitude. Friends. This is what it feels like to have friends. I've almost forgotten the feeling.

"Thank you. Really. You don't know what it means to me."

A movement catches my attention and I see Lance running towards us from the castle Behind him, Shiro, Coran, and Allura make their way. I try not to notice the way my heart sinks when I see Keith isn't with them. I thought that he would have gotten out of the healing pod by now. A few moments later, Lance reaches us and puts a small jar in my hand.

"I'm trying to prove to Coran that it does rain here. If you do see it, fill it up with this. I mean there has to be another source for water."

"Okay." I take it and put it in the compartment along with the package Hunk gave me. "Any more requests?"

"Look for plants that could be spices. You won't believe the stuff the castle has." Hunk says.

"The castle has a perfectly good cuisine arrangement." Coran protests as they finally reach us.

"As they say in your culture, break a limb, Lizzy," Allura says warmly. "But come back in one piece."

I don't have the heart to tell her she's using the phrase wrong. But I nod anyways.

"At the first sign of trouble, come back to the castle." Shiro tells me.

Yes, Dad. I struggle not to smile at the sight of them behaving so much like regular parents.

"I will." I say in what I hope is a confident voice. Even back home, I never wandered more than a few miles at time. My eyes wander from face to face and I realize I am afraid to ask how Keith is. But in the end, Shiro beats me to it.

"I'm sorry, Keith couldn't make it. It will just be a few more hours." I'm about to suggest postponing my leave.

"You shouldn't waste more time, you need all the daylight on your first day." Allura reminds me. And I really that obvious? "If the castle is not here by the time you get back, wait for us with the Arusians"

I nod. We are at war after all.

"I will." I put on the googles Pidge gave me and find that they wrap themselves comfortable around my head.

"Report to me if there are other civilizations out there," Allura says. "When you get home, teach me of this planet."

Home. She so casually called it home that with a start I realize she's right. This is home.

"I will." I tell her. I look at my friends and feel like the moment calls for a huge speech but I settle for a few words. "Thank you all, I'll you in a few days. I'll bring your rain, Lance."

I smile and focus my attention to the transport.

Come on, Lizzy. Don't crash. You'll only embarrass yourself even more.

I feel a flash of joy when I successfully manage to bring the machine a few feet in the air. With a last wave, I wrap my fingers around the handles.

Don't crash don't crash don't crash.

I give the handles a small push and suddenly the machine jerks forward towards the forest. I pull the left handle upwards and I rise above the trees as the machine speeds on.


	20. Chapter 20 Keith

~Keith~

I make a left and see a shadow disappear around the hallway's turn. It must be one of my team members but still... after the attack on the castle, I haven't let myself get too comfortable. After all, we are at war and should always be ready for an attack. I grip the knife and silently make my way down the hall coming face to face with Lizzy. I lower my knife and try to hide it but she sees it.

"Paranoid much?" She asks.

"Yes well, what are you doing sneaking around the castle this late at night?" I ask.

"I was nowhere near the dormitories so I think you are also sneaking around. What were you doing?" She counters. I notice the blanket she's holding on one hand. The other hand has a few container with the cookies that Hunk made at dinner.

"I ask first."

"Fine. I think I know anyway. You were going out to train, right? I guess it's my turn now; I wanted to go on the roof." She holds up her things. "I always liked picnics."

"The roof?" I wasn't aware we had one.

"Yeah." She hesitates for a second. "Do you want to come? There's no light pollution here so the stars will be pretty bright."

I can't sleep and training usually helps with that. But back at the Garrison, going outside for walks also helped...

"Sure." I say.

"So how is the exploring going?" I ask. She offers me a cookie and I take it. Before answering, she leans back on the blanket and looks at the stars.

"It's awesome! There are so many weird species that I've never even dreamed it can be. Sometimes, I have a hard time believing that it actually exists, you'd think I would have gotten more used to aliens with living on an alien ship for four months would make it all more believable." She gets silent for a few seconds. "Ha. I guess it wasn't just four months but for years. Space is weird."

"That pretty much sums it up."

I take another cookies and chew it. Hunk is getting better with the alien ingredients; before it didn't even resemble cookies but now it makes a believable chocolate chip cookie. I remember the first time he discovered an alien fruit that tastes like chocolate. He cried real tears.

"Isn't it weird how you thought your life was going to end up a certain way but it never will? Like, I thought I was going to be a veterinarian. But here I am, who knows how many light years away from Earth sitting on top of a castle and looking out into a whole other planet with a human boy from a different time."

"That's pretty deep but I always wanted to be a space cowboy." The sentence slips past my lips before I can stop it.

She laughs. "You got your wish, cowboy."

Lizzy bolt up and looks at me. "Dude. Imagine if the lions were horses. Then you would actually be a space cowboy."

The idea is so ridiculous that I start laughing. I fall back into the blanket and grip my stomach as laughter shakes my shoulder. I hear her laughing beside me and it takes a while to quiet down because every time we look at each other we start again. I can't remember the last time I laughed like that, it wasn't even a funny joke but being with her makes my walls crumble. My mouth hurts from smiling but I don't want to stop.

I glance at her and see that she's laid back again and is looking at the stars. Every now and then she laughs softly and mutters 'ye-haw'. I think back to what she said, the coincidence that we've meet must be astronomical.

Ha. I made a joke.

Despite what others say, I have a sense of humor. Only a few people see it and as I look at Lizzy I'm beginning to think that she's one of those people.

"What are you looking at?" Too late I realize that she caught me staring.

I panic which makes me say the truth. "The stars in your eyes."

"That's so cheesy." She shakes her head and smiles but I can see that her face is red.


End file.
